Curumim virus is a Portuguese variant of an infamous Hidden Tear ransomware

Curumim virus is a malicious ransomware-type program which was discovered in the beginning of November 2017. Cybersecurity experts classify it as a new variant of HiddenTear ransomware that targets Portuguese-speaking victims to encrypt their data and demand a ransom afterward.

After the successful encryption, the computer user receives a ransom note that insists on contacting the attackers via lordashadow@gmail.com e-mail address to recover the data containing a .curumim file extension[1].

According to LosVirus.es[2] analysis, this malware can encode databases, video and audio files, pdf documents, archives and other files. The translated version of the Curumim virus ransom note states the following:

Your files are encrypted!You only have 1 dayTo get in touch or your files will be totally lost!lordashadow@gmail.com

The amount of a demanded payment is yet unknown. However, victims are still not advised to trust the criminals. Usually, the perpetrators manipulate their power and increase the amount of the ransom after the transaction. You should not hesitate and remove Curumim ransomware immediately.

Be aware that alternative decryption tools that are widely offered online might be developed to swindle money from gullible people. Therefore, do not try to purchase useless decryptors and focus on the Curumim removal instead.

You should employ a powerful security software to get rid of the malware. Additionally, we want to warn you not to try to uninstall the ransomware by yourself since it may lead to a permanent computer damage. Alternatively, you should pick Reimage, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytesMalwarebytes or any other antivirus system of your choice to perform a safe termination of the malware.

Besides, you should remember that elimination process of Curumim ransomware does not help regain access to the corrupted data. However, we recommend you to restore your files using backup copies stored in the cloud or alternative techniques that are presented at the end of this article.

Malspam campaigns and fake system updates are the main distribution methods used to spread the ransomware

While there are many distribution methods employed by cybercriminals, sending spam emails with a malicious attachment[3], remains the most significant one. Victims receive a genuine-looking letter from a well-known company or even governmental institution. Once they open the file attached to the e-mail message, an executable file of the malware is dropped on the computer and ransomware infiltrates on the system.

Another similarly dangerous method used is to deliver a fake system update offer that looks legitimate to the user. Many gullible people believe that it is an official upgrade and download an executable of the ransomware. Experts note that the most common fake pop-ups are Adobe and Windows OS updates. Make sure to stay away from them if you want to protect your system from invasion.

Learn how to get rid of Curumim file-encrypting virus

The fastest way to remove Curumim virus is to employ a powerful security software. It is also the safest way since the antivirus system will detect and eliminate other infections that might be delivered by the malware.

Be aware that the ransomware might block you from installing a security software. Thus, you should reboot your computer to Safe Mode and run a full system scan.

If you want to do it the hard way — start a manual Curumim removal by following the guide provided below. We advise you to avoid skipping steps since it may lead to further issues related to your computer.

What to do if failed?
If you failed to remove virus damage using Reimage, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.

Reimage is recommended to remove virus damage. Free scanner allows you to check whether your PC is infected or not. If you need to remove malware, you have to purchase the licensed version of Reimage malware removal tool.

Log in to your infected account and start the browser. Download Reimage or other legitimate anti-spyware program. Update it before a full system scan and remove malicious files that belong to your ransomware and complete Curumim removal.

If your ransomware is blocking Safe Mode with Networking, try further method.

When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of Curumim. After doing that, click Next.

Now click Yes to start system restore.

Once you restore your system to a previous date, download and scan your computer with Reimage and make sure that Curumim removal is performed successfully.

Bonus: Recover your data

Guide which is presented above is supposed to help you remove Curumim from your computer. To recover your encrypted files, we recommend using a detailed guide prepared by 2-spyware.com security experts.

Remember that Curumim removal does not decrypt your files. However, out IT experts have several alternative methods you could try if you want to get back your data. Learn how to use them:

If your files are encrypted by Curumim, you can use several methods to restore them: